


Longing

by Tlern467



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:47:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28433403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tlern467/pseuds/Tlern467
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Longing

Longing 

The air was heavy-as if it too was fighting the corruption permeating everywhere. Hawke slumped to the ground, weak. Red lyrium pulsed-ever hungry, malevolent and alive. This was where they hoped to trap her, but why exactly was not entirely clear. She grasped her staff and slowly pulled herself up. Her wounds throbbed against the bandages and the red lyrium seemed to subtly rumble in response, so she winced and slowly hobbled forward. 

The cavern itself was deceptively large-the carvings were Dwarven but...older. Almost unrecognizable, or at least that's what Varric told her. The corruption sang-a discordant verse that was both horrid and somehow aesthetic; it was soft at first, like whispers just on the edge of hearing, and the longer Hawke was around it, the louder the song would grow. Hawke had to hurry. Amidst the corrupted song were fragments of something else-guttural whispers, grunts and shrieks. Was this what the Wardens felt on the regular? She had only ingested a small amount of blighted blood-certainly not enough for a traditional Joining. Distant though the cries were-the darkspawn were thankfully nowhere close. 

She continued to stumble forward, the oppression of the corruption around her pressing down-insistent. Hawke was alone in this dark, dim, primordial evil place. She had to hope that Merril was safe and alive, and wished for her more than anything. The mad Wardens and rogue Carta had meant her to die here. But then what-what would her death achieve? It just seemed so pointless, directionless. 

Whispers again, this time clearer-just coming into the edge of focus. 

We see, We Hunger, We Know, We Wait.   
That was it-that disturbing chant in a multitude of all too eager voices.

She pressed on-the landscape slowly shifting into something different. There was no longer the ancient dwarven structures-this was more natural, colder. More ancient-clearly these depths had not been disturbed in eons. Veins of red crawled along the walls-pulsing and slowly growing. 

Then she emerged into a massive hollow and for the first time she could breath freer-the heaviness of the corruption was gone for now.   
Child, a woman's voice whispered. Hawke looked around but could not find the source of the voice.   
Come child of the sky and the ancient empire. Come.   
Then she heard the scrabbling, the insistent digging.   
You must hurry, the voice urged. Hurry, follow my voice child of the sky.   
There was nothing to it. 

Then the strangest thing happened-as she moved she found her wounds mending-as if tended by invisible hands the pain numbing into a distant hum, and even that gradually dissipated. Deeper, deeper she went-following the voice, drifting away from the urgent scrabbling. 

Then-Hawke had to stop. Her breath caught in her throat. In the center of the hollow was a central column with a brilliant gleam of blue, brilliant blue tinged waterfalls and stone ramparts winding around in a maze toward the Heart.   
You must hurry, Child of the Sky. Hurry to me.   
She carefully meandered down the stone ramparts until she reached the wide stone hallway and the brilliantly glowing Heart.   
The Heart itself seemed to...beat. Pulse? It was alive-yet not. Ancient, unknowable and yet...all too familiar.   
Come, the voice insisted. 

Hawke cautiously came closer to the Heart. The glow intensified, blue like the sky, like the sea. A drone, like the slow heartbeat of a massive creature-ponderous but peaceful.   
Come, the voice insisted. Do not be afraid, Child of the Sky. Reach out. 

Hawke did as she was bidden, her fingers pressing against crystal at first-but the crystal gave way and her hand sunk into the blue glow. 

So many things happened then. A rush of sensation, voices and knowledge. It was a torrent, a storm that threatened to rip her apart-consume her. She screamed, and the scream continued. She was on fire but drowning at the same time. Contradictions and multiple realities. She could only make sense of some of it.   
Finally, after an eternity under the deluge of sensation-she emerged. The heartbeat dulled, trickling into silence.   
Child, do not be afraid. I am one of the last of my kind-still sleeping. So many of my brothers and sisters have fallen into silence and madness. I chose you because you have drank of my essence before and performed great things for my children of the Stone, that you will continue to keep them safe. If the corruption spreads, everything is lost.   
"My essence?"   
Lyrium, child.   
"Then red lyrium is..."   
The voice didn't reply.   
Hawke looked down and saw her arms etched with traces of blue-more pure than the brandings on Fenris.   
Go, my child. Do my works, keep my children safe. Fight the corruption as you have before.   
Everything blurred and she screamed again as she felt her body being pulled and pushed in space between spaces, folds between folds. The whispers of knowledge touched on her mind as she traveled, and she understood. 

Hawke opened her eyes and felt firm ground beneath her. Soft grassy ground. The smell of pine.   
"Oh praise Ghil'anan!" Merril said and hugged her. "You're alive!"   
"I think there's a story," Varric said. "You'll have to tell me sometime."   
"Let's get back. Aveline's worried."   
Hawke weakly stood up, then felt her legs wobble.   
"Whoa whoa there," Merril said. "You're exhausted." She guided Hawke to a horse, and Hawke somehow mostly blind got in the saddle and Merril behind her, holding her upright in the saddle.   
Hawke was vaguely aware of the landscape-a blur while she saw otherworldly visions and whispers of past events trickled in her mindscape.   
She felt the horse stop, staggered in the door to her family's manse and staggered to the bed with Merril's guidance. When she crumpled into the bed she closed her eyes and let the visions dance in her minds eye unhindered. The answers would come-later. 

It was hard to say exactly when she opened her eyes and felt herself again. A day? Many days?   
There was only the calm glow of candlelight, and Merril.   
She closed her eyes again and drifted off again, her consciousness ebbing and flowing until she resurfaced again. When she did she found her throat dry, her skin tingling.   
"You're awake!? Oh bless you you're awake!" Merril said. 

Hawke drank from the cup Merril offered, and her throat no longer felt like a desert ravine.   
"I was so worried," Merril said. "I-I mean we all were but, uh," she trailed on.   
"I know," Hawke said and gave Merril a small private smile. "When I was alone down there, I thought I was gonna die. And I thought of you, and how I had to come back to you. Somehow."   
"Really? I-I mean you did?"   
"Of course I did, Merril. I love you."   
"W-well of course. That is, I love you too I just, you're just...Hawke. You're bigger than life."   
"I'm just me, Merril."   
"That's not true," Merril said. "You're something more. But-I'm glad. I love you too, Hawke." She gently kissed Hawke on the cheek and slid next to Hawke on the bed. Merril held onto Hawke for dear life, like an anchor in the storm.   
Hawke hummed a tune from the many eons of knowledge embedded inside her. A song of love from a Dwarf about to march to Caridin's Cross, knowing it will be her last moments as herself.   
Merril nestled in closer and kissed Hawke's neck, then sighed contentedly. 

My love, my love   
I may be long gone.   
My love, my love-   
Your mem'ry dances on.   
My love, my love   
I'm fighting on and on.   
Even when I'm gone, my love,   
I know it's worth the cost.   
A future without Darkspawn,   
Peace without fear.   
I'd give up ev'rything,   
Which I have,   
And ev'rything again. 

"What song is that?" Merril whispered.   
"A Dwarven tune."   
"It's very sad, but...beautiful."   
"Yeah," Hawke said.   
The two held each other in silence, glad of each other's company.   
Hawke knew if she had to make a sacrifice like the Dwarf woman did long ago, she'd do it absolutely.   
Merril knew too.


End file.
